The Fightin' Stance News 04.19.08: Are You Ready For MM-Eh?
Posted by Adam Tool on 04.19.2008
We're just hours away from another explosive night of UFC action, and Adam Tool has your final preview for tonight's big event. There's also news regarding the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter," as well as the future of the show's most recent cut. We've also got upcoming cards from EliteXC and DREAM, and a special look at MMA stars that may have been separated at birth. All this, plus videos spotlighting our neighbors to the North, in today's Fightin' Stance News!
Welcome back my friends. I'm Adam Tool and this is The Fightin' Stance News. I am all jazzed up for tonight's big show, which we'll get to a little later. First, since this is a news report I thought we'd hit the headlines. Here's what I've got for you today:
-confirmed fights for upcoming UFC and EliteXC shows
-a "TUF" 7 castmate makes new friends in another organization
-what's going on across the pond?
-MMA stars…separated at birth?
-a full rundown of the action you can expect tonight
-the always informative MMA Calendar
-and a few videos in honor of our neighbors to the North (and no, it's not "Blame Canada")
But first…
Nothing Official, But…
Rumors are circulating that the next two coaches for "The Ultimate Fighter" have already been selected and could be announced as early as tonight. Of course this should be taken with a grain of salt until it is confirmed but as of now it would appear the plan is to have interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir be the two coaches next season, with a heavyweight title fight scheduled afterwards.
If this turns out to be true, it will be the third time the UFC has put on of their champions on the reality show while the rest of the division waits around. We're already seeing the damage that was done by welterweight champion Matt Serra taking so much time off, as we already have two more contenders lined up after the fight tonight. Of course this means some fighters will have to continue stepping in the cage even when the have their shot lined up, and we already know what happened to Karo Parisyan (don't forget that Jon Fitch was in trouble against Chris Wilson as well).
However this would be the first time where the champion not defending for awhile could help, as the heavyweight division in the UFC is currently running on fumes. There's also the whole matter of Couture still holding the belt and all the legal battles that will be ensuing from that fuster-cluck. I've already talked to a few people that don't agree Mir is the #1 contender, but at this point who else do they have?
That‘s Why Pencils Have Erasers
Earlier this week EliteXC announced the official lineup for their broadcast TV debut on May 31st. Nothing new in the announcement, as it simply confirmed the fights everyone has been talking about for the last month. However no sooner was the card announced then a day later it was changed.
Murilo "Ninja" Rua has pulled out of his middleweigh fight will Phil "NY Badass" Baroni, due to an unspecified reason. Taking Rua's place will be Joey Villasenor, who was last seen knocking out Ryan Jensen at last month's Strikeforce/EliteXC card.
First "Shogun" has to pull out of his fight with Chuck Liddell, now his little brother "Ninja" is stepping out of his next fight. Will either of the Brazilian brothers fight in 2008? Only time will tell.
As for the new fight, I'm sure Baroni will be more than happy to stand and bang against Villasenor, instead of trying to dodge submissions from Rua. I predict the same result in the end though-Baroni loses.
The Finale Countdown
Earlier this week the UFC officially announced two fights for the upcoming "Ultimate Fighter Finale" for the show's seventh season. Traditionally these cards consist of the show's two finalists squaring off for the contract, along with several fights featuring other castmates. However this year the card looks to be filling up with UFC veterans, and the new guys may be left fighting on the undercard. Here's the current lineup:
Main Event: Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti (confirmed)
Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner (confirmed)
Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens (rumored)
Josh Burkman vs. Dustin Hazelett (rumored)
Marvin Eastman vs. Drew McFedries (rumored)
The show takes place at the Palms in Las Vegas on June 21st, and tickets are on sale today. Speaking of the latest season…
One Door Closes, Another Is Opened
Two-time all-American wrestler Paul Bradley was invited to compete on the recent season of "The Ultimate Fighter." He won his elimination bout and was the third pick for Team Rampage. This past Wednesday though, Bradley was booted from the competition without losing a fight. Bradley had a nasty little rash on his neck which was confirmed to be "herpes gladiator," which is completely different from the sexually-transmitted strain of the herpes virus. Even though the condition is not contagious Bradley was informed by UFC President Dana White that he would have to leave the show.
Before the season even started however, Bradley announced that he would be taking his 8-0 professional record and fighting in EliteXC. According to a recent interview Bradley stated that he was waiting to hear from the UFC after the show, but there never seemed to be any intention of bringing him back. He is now under contract with the UFC's fastest rising competitor, and he hopes to be a part of the June 14th card in Hawaii (where he'll be training with UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn).
It's unfortunate that Bradley was bounced from the competition after showing a lot of promise in the first few episodes, but I can understand where the UFC is coming from regarding fighter safety and liability. If he does manage to be something special and goes on a tear in EliteXC, I'm sure Dana White and the boys at Zuffa will be none-to-happy to have let such a great prospect go free.
Let's Hope This DREAM Will Come True
The next DREAM card in ten days will feature a middleweight grand prix, as well as the rematch between JZ Calvancante and Shinya Aoki. Now we are finally getting some idea as to who will be fighting in the tournament, and the list includes some big names. Here's the current lineup:
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Shinya Aoki
Frank Trigg vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza
Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
Masakatsu Funaki vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Taiei Kin
Zelg Galesic vs. Magomed Sultanakhmadov
Shungo Oyama vs. Yoon Dong Sik
Additionally there is a rumor that Nick Diaz could also be fighting on the card. According to GracieFighter.com Diaz verbally agreed to face Marcelo Garcia, however the site now claims that Garcia refused the fight and there may not be time to find a new opponent. Diaz is scheduled to be on the June 14th EliteXC card, where he'll be taking on Mushin Corbbrey.
MMA Separated At Birth
Before we get to the preview of tonight's show I thought I'd mix things up and throw in a completely random segment for your amusement. Think of this as a little comedy warm-up before we start talking about UFC 83. Dustin did a few of these in the 411Rankings earlier this week, but I've decided to rip off expand on it a bit. I'll get the easy one out of the way first
Rich Franklin and… Jim Carrey
Kenny Florian and… Ben Stiller
Stephan Bonnar and… Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age
Forrest Griffin and… Andy Griffith
Marvin Eastman and… That Detective from Dexter
Dan Severn and…
Queen front man Freddy Mercury
Don Frye and… Magnum P.I.
Josh Koscheck and… That fat kid from Bad Santa
Gabriel Gonzaga and… Chewbacca
B.J. Penn and… a Cabbage Patch baby
UFC 83 HONEST-TO-GOODNESS FINAL PREVIEW
The Facts
-This is the first ever UFC event held in Canada. It is being shown live on PPV from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
-This is also the fastest selling event in UFC history. Tickets nearly sold out for the 22,000 seat arena in the first few days solely thru the internet pre-sale.
-Because of all this, this is already the highest grossing live-event in UFC history (which is pretty cool considering it hasn't happened yet).
-All of tonight's competitors have made weight (including Travis Lutter).
-There are eight competitors on the card who originally hail from one of the Canadian provinces.
-Of those eight, only one of the fighters on tonight's card is from Montreal. He also happens to be in the main event.
The Facts:
-Matt Serra won the welterweight belt from St. Pierre approximately a year ago. He received his title shot by winning season four of "The Ultimate Fighter."
-Serra had never won a fight by TKO before finishing St. Pierre.
-Similarly, St. Pierre had never lost by TKO before Serra.
-Since winning the belt Serra went on to coach on "The Ultimate Fighter" and was then laid out with an injury. This will be his first title defense.
-In the past year St. Pierre has gone 2-0, defeating Josh Koscheck by decision and Matt Hughes by submission.
-After beating Hughes St. Pierre was awarded the interim welterweight championship, however in his post-fight interview he immediately called out Matt Serra and said he wanted the real title.
-If St. Pierre wins he will be the youngest two-time champion in UFC history.
The Pick: After 12 months of bickering and backtalk we can finally settle this. There‘s no doubt in my mind that GSP is one of the greatest fighters ever and I look for him to dominate Serra in much of the same way he was dominated in the first fight. I like Matt Serra, but one cannot deny that St. Pierre always comes back from a loss stronger than before. With that in mind I‘m picking St. Pierre by TKO in round 1.
Rich Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
The Facts:
-Both fighters are coming off of a loss against Anderson Silva.
-Lutter has won seven of his fights by submission.
-Franklin has never been submitted his career.
-This is Lutter's first fight in 14 months, after he failed to make weight in what would've been a title match against Silva.
-This is Franklin's first fight since have facial-reconstructive surgery following his last fight with Silva.
The Pick: As I mentioned in the Roundtable it‘s going to be tough for Franklin to ever be anything more than #2 in his division. Still, as the second best guy he‘s still better than just about everyone else including Lutter, so I'll go with Franklin by TKO in round 2.
Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
The Facts:
-Starnes is coming off of a loss to Alan Belcher, while Quarry was victorious in his last fight against Pete Sell.
-This is Quarry's second fight after a two-year layoff where he had major surgery on his back.
-Starnes was last seen in the octagon with a huge flap of skin hanging off of his skull courtesty of Belcher.
-Starnes has five victories by submission, while Quarry has never been submitted.
The Pick: After getting KO‘d by Franklin, Quarry‘s career was derailed for almost two years, however he came back looking good against Pete Sell. I personally have yet to be impressed by Starnes, but anything is possible. This one could be close but I like Quarry by TKO in round 1.
Michael Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy
The Facts:
-This will be Michael Bispings debut at middleweight.
-Of the eight regular season "TUF" winners, five have moved down from the weight class they won in on the show. Mac Danzig was the fourth, and now Michael Bisping is the fifth (only Griffin, Grove and Diaz have stayed in their respective classes).
-Bisping is coming off of the first loss in his career against Rashad Evans at UFC 78.
-This will be McCarthy's first fight in a 17 months, after he submitted Gideon Ray at "The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale."
-All ten of McCarthy's wins have come via submission, while Bisping has never been submitted.
The Pick: Is there a more dis-liked "TUF" winner than Michael Bisping? At this point, no there is not. If he wants to quickly stake his place in a new division and win over some of the fans, "The Count" will need to win this one in convincing fashion. Plus I just don‘t feel McCarthy presents too much of a threat, so I‘ll take Bisping via TKO early in round 2.
Mac Danzig vs. Mark Bocek
The Facts:
-This is Danzig's UFC PPV debut after winning "TUF" 6 by submitting Tommy Speer.
-Bocek only has one loss on his record, against Frank Edgar.
-Nine of Danzig's wins have come by submission, while Bocek has never been submitted.
-As previously mentioned, Danzig won the welterweight competition on "The Ultimate Fighter," then immediately announced he would be dropping to lightweight.
The Pick: Each season on "The Ultimate Fighter" there is usually one competitor that stands head and shoulders above his house-mates. Danzig was clearly the favorite going into the show, and he had no real challenges on his way to the big win. His first fight on PPV shouldn‘t pose too much of a threat either, so I‘m taking Danzig by submission in round 1.
On the undercard: Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerkson Alan Belcher vs. Jason Day Ed Herman vs. Demien Maia Rich Clementi vs. Sam Stout Brad Morris vs. Cain Velasquez Jonathon Goulet vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
The Facts:
-Of the twelve fighters on the undercard, only three will making their octagon debuts (Velasquez, Morris, Day).
-MacDonald and Doerkson are both coming off of losses, and will need a win to secure their future in the UFC.
-If Doerkson can beat MacDonald it will be his 40th career victory.
-Day enters the octagon on a four fight win streak, while Belcher has won his last two fights.
-Herman is riding a three fight win streak, but his opponent Maia has never been beaten.
-Clementi fought six times last year, going 5-1.
-Stout has already fought once this year, beating Per Eklund at UFC 80.
-Not only is this Velasquez's first fight in the UFC, it's his first fight in 14 months.
-Morris makes his octagon debut on a four fight win streak.
-Hironaka is 1-2 in the UFC, although those losses were against top contenders Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves.
-Goulet is 1-1 in the octagon, and has won his last two fights.
Sure I'm great, but why not check out some of our other fine writers?
If you still don‘t know who to pick tonight, you can always check out part one and part two of the 411MMA Roundtable.
In case you missed it, Randy also previewed UFC 83 in Five Rounds Of News.
John Curry questions if the UFC is a monopoly in the latest Ground And Pound.
Sergio Hernandez continues his two-part analysis of the upset that led to tonight‘s main event in Beyond The Fight.
After knocking out Tommy Speer at Fight Night XIII UFC fighter Anthony Johnson takes time to chat with our own Bren Oliver. Bren is still unconscious.
411 Rankings tell you who‘s on top and who‘s making their way there. This week: Middleweights.
Jeremy Lambert is a busy man, but he still delivers The Cardio Freak News Report.
Tonight - UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre 2
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
Tonight - IFL Fight Night - Season Premiere
On Fox Sports Net at 12 m ET
4/29 - DREAM 2 - Middleweight Grand Prix
(no U.S. broadcast at this time)
5/11 - DREAM 3 - Lightweight Grand Prix Rd. 2
(no U.S. broadcast at this time)
5/24 - UFC 84: Ill Will - Penn vs. Sherk
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
5/31 - EliteXC Saturday Night Fights - Premiere
Live on CBS at 9 pm ET
6/1 - WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver
Live on VS. (time TBA)
6/7 - UFC 85: Liddell vs. Evans
On PPV (time TBA)
6/14 - EliteXC: Noons vs. Edwards
Live on Showtime at 10 pm ET
6/21 - The Ultimate Fighter Finale
Live on Spike (time TBA)
First up we have comedian Eugene Mirman with some fun facts about Canada
Here's another perspective on our neighbors to the North
Finally it's a music video from one of my favorite Canadian bands
The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels
That's it for this week. I hope everyone enjoys the show tonight. I plan on giving my thoughts on the card live here in the 411 forums, and I'll bring you my final thoughts next week. If you can't watch the event then come back here tonight for 411mania's LIVE coverage. Wendell's in tomorrow so until next time…
Credit: MMAJunkie.com, Sherdog.com, Fiveouncesofpain.com, MMAWeekly.com, TAGG Radio
